CAN Festival 2021 Announces CAN x TWO TEMPLE PLACE

At the heart of the CAN Festival 2021, CAN x TWO TEMPLE PLACE is an ambitious new Chinese Arts Now production, co-produced with Two Temple Place and conceived and led by CAN's artistic director An-Ting Chang.

Contemporary British Chinese artists have been invited to respond to the historical context and architecture of Two Temple Place, an extraordinary neo-Gothic mansion on the Embankment and one of London's hidden gems. In a variety of media, they examine the very different immigration experiences of the wealthy and influential (including the American millionaire William Waldorf Astor who built Two Temple Place in 1895) and the largely poor Chinese people who have been emigrating to the UK from that time until now.

Originally conceived as a live exhibition, CAN x TWO TEMPLE PLACE has evolved into a unique arts encounter which uses gaming technology to create a whole new 3D digital world within which to experience the work. It includes a digital exhibition, two 'live' performances of Every dollar is a soldier/With money you're a dragon plus workshops, talks, tours and opportunities to speak to the artists.

Anneliese Davidsen, director of Two Temple Place, says: "In the dazzling interiors of Two Temple Place contemporary artworks not only surprise and engage, they ask new questions about the building and the people who commissioned, crafted and built it. The partnership with Chinese Arts Now marks an important new programme of work for Two Temple Place, opening up the building to contemporary artists to respond, animate and reinterpret."

DIGITAL EXHIBITION
Audiences enter the digital site-specific exhibition via a short film and can then explore the space in their own time. As they navigate through a virtual world, designed by Christine ae??ae?? Urquhart, they discover mesmerising works by fine artist and singer-songwriter Chloe Wing, augmented reality and architectural artist Donald Shek, former lawyer turned performance artist Jack Tan and composer Jasmin Kent-Rodgman plus new music by An-Ting Chang and spoken text by Daniel York Loh. Donald Shek teases out ideas of Chinese diasporic identity and mythology from the history of the venue itself. Chloe Wing is creating a cut-out paper gown and headpiece, representing the invisible and silent feminine presence in a traditionally masculine space. Jack Tan references the nearby legal chambers and the Royal Courts of Justice. All these elements come together to create a new way of looking at British Chinese history.

The world of the exhibition has been created using the Unity platform. Unity's real-time 3D development platform lets artists, designers and developers work together to create immersive and interactive experiences. It's used in many popular games and by architects when creating digital architecture environments.
Friday 19 February from 9pm to Sunday 21 March. Available 24 hours a day. Free

PERFORMANCE
Daniel York Loh & An-Ting Chang
Every dollar is a soldier/With money you're a dragon
This immersive production brings together videos, virtual companions and new music by An-Ting Chang to explore the contrasting journeys of Two Temple Place founder William Waldorf Astor and the Chinese people who have come to the UK over the last 100 years. Audiences will choose an avatar to travel through the virtual space together as they follow the ethereal Chloe Wing and her songs encountering performances by Wang Xiao, Cheng Yu and Si Rawlinson and incisive text by Daniel York Loh.
Friday 19 March at 7.30pm & Saturday 20 March at 2.30pm. Tickets: £6

DISCUSSION
Creativity in legal practice - a performance and roundtable discussion with artist Jack Tan
This roundtable discussion explores the relationship between the law and creativity, and particularly the experience of lawyers of East and South East Asian heritage in the UK. The event will start with a short performance of Jack Tan's 2016 sound-work Hearings, re-installed as part of the CAN x TWO TEMPLE PLACE digital exhibition. Selected scores from Hearings will be interpreted and performed by a group of UK based lawyer-musicians then Tan will facilitate a discussion about the place and possibility of creativity in legal practice.
Saturday 27 February at 2.30pm. Free. Booking essential

WORKSHOPS
Creating Digital Arts and Music: Inspiration from London's Chinatown and Two Temple Place
CAN's artistic director An-Ting Chang and artist Donald Shek talk about their collaboration on the Augmented Chinatown 2.0 app and the exhibition in work Two Temple Place. Participants learn how to create their own music or augmented reality (AR) and will keep a small app of the music or AR they create at the end of the workshop.
Saturday 6 March at 2.30pm. Free. Booking essential

Paper Cutting with Chloe Wing
Fine artist Chloe Wing introduces her paper-cutting practice. Participants make their own paper cut card inspired by her new work for the CAN x TWO TEMPLE PLACE exhibition.
Wednesday 10 March from 7-8pm. Free. Booking essential. Adults only

TOUR
CAN's artistic director An-Ting Chang and director of Two Temple Place Anneliese Davidsen give a virtual tour of Two Temple and talk about how the exhibition artists responded to the building.
Saturday 13 March at 2.30pm & Wednesday 17 March at 1pm. Free. Booking essential

PUBLIC BOOKING
Booking for all events via https://twotempleplace.org/whats-on/

LINK TO BOOK FOR PRESS LAUNCH ON 18 FEBRUARY
Book NOW

LINK TO BOOK FOR PRIVATE VIEW ON 19 FEBRUARY
https://twotempleplace.org/events/can-x-two-temple-place-3/

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